Interesting thread, Adamark! That fluff always drives me crazy, and it's good to know it's not necessary to remove it, though I probably still will if I'm giving the seeds away. Sunrisedigger, I have Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies' in several places in the garden, but here are my favorite combinations. Butterfly Weed with Geum 'Fireball'. The Geum is usually just finishing up as the Butterfly Weed is starting to bloom. Butterfly Weed with Daylily 'Black Eyed Stella' Asclepias tuberosa with Gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons' Hope this helps some! Bonnie

As with many of the "traditional" drinks of Mesoamerica, there are no hard and fast rules since each region would probably have their own version. So, be guided by the below and experiment. The worst that can happen is it sours and you through it away. IRT Tibicos, if you want to try using this, you should be able to get it online. Just Google it and you will see the large number of hits. Colonche is a sweet, fizzy beverage produced in Mexico by fermenting the juice of the fruits of the prickly pear cacti - mainly Opuntia species. The procedure for preparing colonche is essentially the same as has been followed for centuries. The cactus fruits are peeled and crushed to obtain the juice, which is boiled for 2-3 hours. After cooling, the juice is allowed to ferment for a few days. Sometimes old colonche or tibicos may be added as a starter. Tibicos are gelatinous masses of yeasts and bacteria, grown in water with brown sugar. They are also used in the preparation of tepache. Tibicos, also known as "bulgaros," are compact, gelatinous masses, with a white or yellowish color. The form and size varies. Tibicos are made up of water, bacteria and yeasts. Tibicos are consumed in many households as a refreshing beverage of low alcoholic content. In recent years, its consumption has increased dramatically, due to the popularity of Tepache made from Tibicos, a beverage frequently attributed with weight-losing properties. You might also be interested in this link: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/fermented-cactus-juice-134965/ about Tiswin. Finally, try this jelly recipe (and note well the comment about pectin boxes): 2 1/2 cups prickly pear cactus juice 1/2 cup lemon juice 5 cups sugar 1 box of powdered pectin (18 teaspoons (6 TBS) -note that not all pectin brands contain the same amount in a box, so measure it out to make sure) Hard boil cactus fruit juice, pectin and lemon juice for 3 minutes. Hard boil means the point at which the brew still bubbles even when you stir it. Add sugar and bring back to a hard boil for 2 minutes or until the jell point is reached. Put in 8 ounce canning jars, seal and heat process for 10 minutes. We followed the canning instructions on the Ball website for high-acid foods. Peter

Dave, I'll have to dissagree on the ripening time after setting fruit issue. Cherry tomatoes will take less time from flowering to ripe fruit and because there potentially are hundreds of fruits originating from a cluster there is also the liklihood that a few more will ripen before the first of a larger fruit cluster of 5 or 6 fruits. I've routinely planted many varieties in a high tunnel on the same day and this year 9 of the 12 cherry varieties were producing fruits 2 weeks before the first larger fruited variety was picked. Occasionally one or 2 larger fruited types might sneak an early one in but beware that it is not a development fluke like BER. As far as BW(Brandywine)- give up on early fruits. Try Prudens Purple for consistantly earlier fruits that look and taste like BW. Prudens Purple will also out yield BW under most conditions.

Before folks start asking about what Darrel just pictured, it's an experimental variety still being developed and to most folks it actually looks blue. And seeds are not commercially available. There appear to be several different lines of this blue one and so those folks who have grown it say it's sweet or awful, depending on which line they got and from whom and where and how grown. You can Google it and try entering Blue tomato and see what you get b'c there's quite a bit already on the net about this development. Darrel, your crosses sound interesting and I'm glad Eva Purple Ball is working out well for you. A look and taste alike for Eva Purple Ball is Redfield Beauty ( slightly lighter colored but also has the same surface tiny white dots and also falls from the vine when ripe as does EPB) which was grown commercially many years ago and you might want to take a look at that one as well in terms of parentage for your crosses. Carolyn